


The Year's Last, Loveliest Smile

by Lalalli



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 11:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12816513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalalli/pseuds/Lalalli
Summary: Fitz can't help but feel that everyone at Mockingbird Cafe knows something he doesn't.  He thinks it might have something to do with his favorite drink order, but lots of people like pumpkin spice lattes.  It's not like it's weird.*Written for Fitzsimmons Appreciation Week 2017Day 5: Favorite Season





	The Year's Last, Loveliest Smile

**Author's Note:**

> So the prompt for Day 5 is "Favorite Season" and it didn't occur to me until I was almost done writing this that they probably meant favorite season of Agents of Shield, not favorite season of the year.
> 
> Oh well. Have a coffee shop AU.

Fitz loves autumn.

He loves the crunch of dried leaves under his feet. He loves the chill that bites at his skin. He loves cozying up in thick knit jumpers, the yarn pilled at the elbows from wear.

But mostly, he loves pumpkin spice lattes.

According to a Buzzfeed quiz, this makes him 85% Basic Bitch, but he doesn’t care. Especially when the lattes are as life-changing as the ones at Mockingbird Cafe. Fitz has always enjoyed the coffee there, even before September rolled around. It’s part of his morning routine to stop by on his way to class to get his caffeine fix.

But midway through September, Bobbi offered him a tiny sample cup and, well. It was a revelation. There’s no other way to explain it. Fitz didn’t know that religious experiences could come in packages so tiny. He started going to Mockingbird twice a day to get his fix. He figures he needs to get as much of it as he can before the holiday season ends and it gets removed from the menu.

Bobbi’s behind the counter when he walks in for his afternoon fix. “Fitz!” She glances at her watch. “You’re early today.” She starts ringing him up before he even reaches the register.

“I can’t go another minute without caffeine,” he admits. “I’m addicted. You should be required to post FDA warnings around the shop.”

Jemma reaches around Bobbi to set down Fitz’s latte on the counter before Bobbi finishes his transaction.

“You’re the best,” he tells her absently, the same thing he tells her every time she hands him his coffee.

“That was fast,” Bobbi observes.

Jemma tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I saw him crossing the street outside the window, so I took the liberty of starting his drink.”

Fitz lifts his cup to her in a silent toast. “Best service ever.”

Jemma smiles shyly at his acknowledgement before turning back to the espresso machine.

Bobbi hands back Fitz’s credit card with a knowing smile. Fitz frowns. Lately, he can’t help but feel like everyone in the coffee shop knows something he doesn’t. Hunter keeps winking at him, Mack keeps chuckling and shaking his head, and Bobbi keeps sending Jemma to check on him when he settles in to study on the weekends, even though they don’t check on anyone else. Even Daisy, his supposed friend, the person who got him addicted to pumpkin spice lattes in the first place, has started refusing to serve him, forcing Jemma to handle all interactions with him instead. Which is weird because Daisy still visits him every weekend, coming over to his dorm for movie nights, occasionally dragging Jemma along with her. He’s not sure what’s going on with everyone working at Mockingbird, but he assumes it’s because they have also figured out that he’s a Basic Bitch.

It’s not until finals week that he figures it out. It’s absolute chaos when he walks in, every table covered in books and laptops, Bobbi and Mack trying their best to efficiently take orders from students and faculty in the line that stretches out the door, trash cans overflowing and milk and sugar covering the coffee station because Jemma, Daisy, and Hunter are too busy making drinks to check to see what needs to be cleaned.

It takes a full ten minutes between when Fitz orders and when he receives his drink, but when Hunter hands him his drink, he still says gratefully, “You’re the best.”

And then, he swears to God, everyone _freezes_. Even the other customers in line turns to stare at him.

“What is it?” Fitz asks, confused and alarmed.

“I thought I was the best,” Jemma teases, though her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“My best friend is whoever gives me my pumpkin spice latte,” Fitz teases back. “Sorry, but Hunter’s my best friend today.”

Jemma’s smile falters for a moment before it’s back, brighter and sunnier and faker than before. “I should empty the trash cans!” She wipes off her hands on her apron and flees to the back room.

Daisy punches his arm. _Hard_.

“Ow!” Fitz yelps, covering his arm with his hand. “What the hell, Daisy?”

Mack shakes his head, somehow managing to take the time to express his disappointment even as he’s ringing up customers. “Turbo. Dude.”

Hunter glares at him. “You shouldn’t lead girls on like that, mate.”

Fitz scans their faces, confused. “I don’t understand. Who am I leading on?”

Daisy opens her mouth to answer, but then the door to the back room swings open, Jemma emerging with a pile of empty trash bags bunched in her hands. Daisy surreptitiously nods towards Jemma.

Fitz waits until Jemma’s across the room to lean across the counter. “How the bloody hell did I lead her on? I didn’t even do anything!”

Daisy’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You started coming in twice a day right after she started working here!”

“Because that’s when you started serving pumpkin spice lattes!” Fitz protests.

“You used to hole up in your room on the weekends, but now you study here!”

“It smells like cinnamon here!”

“You’ve told her she’s the best every day for the past two months!”

“She’s makes the best pumpkin spice lattes!”

“Oh my God,” Daisy groans, covering her face with her hand. “Buzzfeed was wrong. You are definitely 100% basic.”

*

The thing is, it’s not like Fitz _dislikes_ Jemma. He’s always thought she’s cute, with her bright smile and messy ponytail and scattering of freckles across her face. And she’s smart too, always asking about what he’s reading and adding her own informed opinions and analysis. And she’s funny, cracking jokes with Fitz and Daisy as they watch movies in his dorm room.

It’s just that it never even occurred to Fitz to be interested in her because she seems so out of his league. If he did like her, it was in the same absent way he liked Gal Gadot and Karen Gillan. Sure, they’re attractive and nice to look at, but they’re the kind of people you admire from afar.

And yeah, Jemma’s nice to him, but she works in customer service - she’s _supposed_ to be nice to him. He’s certain that the only reason Jemma even noticed him is because Bobbi and Daisy and the others teased her about him so much - it’s easy to be interested in people who you already know are interested in you.

So even though Fitz didn’t do anything _wrong_ , he still hurt Jemma’s feelings and he feels bad about it. And it’s not like he’s opposed to getting to know her better. So the first day of winter break, after most of the campus has left to go home, Fitz goes back to Mockingbird to see her.

She’s the only other person in the cafe when he walks in. “I don’t think I’ve actually seen it this empty in here before,” Fitz observes.

Jemma shrugs. “I think everyone is in post-finals hibernation mode.” She pushes a paper cup across the counter. “Here you go.”

Fitz looks down at the cup. “What’s this?”

Jemma’s mouth twists, amused. “It’s a pumpkin spice latte. What else would it be?”

Fitz’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh. Uh, actually...I didn’t come for a pumpkin spice latte today.”

Jemma frowns. “But you always get a pumpkin spice latte.”

Fitz taps his fingers nervously against the counter. “I mean, I didn’t come to get coffee. I came to talk to - ”

Jemma shakes her head, reaching forward to pull the cup back towards her. “Sorry, it was stupid - I should have waited for you to order.”

“No, wait -” Fitz reaches out to grab the cup, accidentally placing his hand on hers instead. Their eyes meet for a moment, and they immediately jerk their hands back, mumbling apologies.

“I, uh.” Fitz rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I can buy the coffee. Since you already made it.”

Jemma ducks her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to.”

“No - I - I like pumpkin spice lattes. Really. It’s not a hardship.”

Jemma bites the corner of her mouth and pushes the cup back towards him. “You can just have it. New promotion - buy 100 lattes, get one free.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.” Fitz forces himself to look her in the eyes instead of down at his feet. “Maybe I can buy you dinner when you’re done.”

Jemma rolls her eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t about the other day. I really don’t care, Fitz. You don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

Fitz huffs, frustrated. Apparently, letting Jemma know he’s interested was easier before he was actually _trying_ to show his interest. “Look, Jemma - if you’re not interested, that’s fine. You can just say that. But I do want to spend more time with you, and it has nothing to do with feeling sorry for you.”

Jemma’s brow furrows, confused. “But - the other day -”

Fitz gives her a self-deprecating smile. “Would you believe me if I said that it never occurred to me that you would be interested in spending time with me too?”

Jemma presses her lips tightly together, apparently thinking it over. After what feels like an eternity but was probably only five seconds, she turns up the corners of her lips into a small smile. “I get off at six.”

“Great. It’s a date.”

*

In March, Fitz starts visiting Mockingbird Cafe three times a day instead of two.

“You know we don’t sell pumpkin spice lattes anymore, right?” Hunter asks when Fitz walks through the door at six. Behind Hunter, Jemma lights up when she sees him. She glances at the clock and starts untying her apron as she walks to the back room.

“I know,” Fitz tells him, watching Jemma emerge from the back room with her purse and sweater. “But it turns out there’s something here that I like even more.”

**Author's Note:**

> Writing prompt from here: http://diegoalvesisgod.tumblr.com/post/167408180712/christmas-au-prompts


End file.
